While not very sexy, it is readily apparent that plastic trash bags, also referred to as trash can liners, are an integral part of life. These bags, (collectively referred to herein as “trash bags”) can be manufactured as a wide variety of flexible plastic products. For example, trash bags can be made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). All of these trash bag materials can be of varying thickness (usually measured in mils) and can be of a wide variety of colors and transparencies. Typically such trash bags are used in trash containers as liners and are used without any container and simply carried to a location where trash is to be deposited therein. Trash bags may also be made of cloth and paper, depending on the use of the bag.
In cases where the user does not have a ridged structure, such as a trash can, use of trash bags can be problematic and inconvenient for a user. Further, use of a trash bag by itself for sweeping up smaller debris is difficult if not impossible since the trash bag itself has no rigidity and will not stay in place when a user attempts to sweep things into it. It would thus be useful to have an apparatus that allows a trash bag to be maintained in an open position during clean up or sweeping operations. Such an apparatus would also allow a trash bag to be attached to a wall so that it can be maintained in a vertical open position without the need for a trash container.